“Behind the Scenes of Horror: ‘Hereditary’ Star Opens Up About the Dark PTSD He Faced After Filming Disturbing Scenes”
Just when you thought your Halloween plans couldn’t get any spookier, try stepping into the haunted world of Hereditary! The film has left its mark on audiences everywhere, and now, star Alex Wolff is pulling back the curtain on the emotional aftermath of diving headfirst into such a “raw and volatile state” during filming. Can you imagine going to work every day, fully immersing yourself in horror, only to feel echoes of that fear long after the cameras stopped rolling? As spooky season creeps up, Wolff’s reflections on his experience serve as a chilling reminder that the line between acting and reality can blur in ways we might not expect. So grab your popcorn, take a deep breath, and venture into the unsettling exploration of grief and trauma as the Graham family faces supernatural terror following their grandmother’s death. Curious to dig deeper into this haunting narrative? LEARN MORE.
Hereditary star Alex Wolff has opened up about the effect of being in such a ‘raw and volatile state’ while filming and the long-lasting effect it’s had on him.
Right in time for spooky season, what better to scare you s**ltess than one of the best horror films of all time? Watch the trailer if you dare:
Directed by Ari Aster, Hereditary centres around the Graham family, who are tormented by supernatural forces, following the death of their grandmother.
Wolff plays the role of Annie and Steve’s 16-year-old son Peter and it’s fair to say he goes through the brunt of the horror that ensues.
Members of the family battle with their mental healths and it turns out, actor Wolff says he experienced ‘some sort of’ post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of filming such intense and horrifying scenes too.
Alex Wolff plays the role of Peter Graham (A24)
In an interview with VICE, Wolff explained he ‘spent a lot of time and physical preparation’ to maintain a ‘pretty raw and volatile state’ during filming and this not only ‘stuck with’ him while working, but also after finishing the movie too.
The actor revealed: “It stuck with me well after. When I started talking about it, all these flashes with all this disturbing s**t I went through sorta came back in a flood.
“It kept me up at night to where I got into a habit of emotional masochism at that point of just trying to take in every negative feeling I could draw from. I forced it upon myself rather than the opposite of what you’d usually do in life, which is sit on the heater until it starts to burn and you jump up immediately. I had to do the exact opposite of that and absorb the pain and let it burn. It’s a reverse emotional thing.
“It’s hard to describe eloquently, it’s just a feeling. I don’t think you can go through something like this and not have some sort of PTSD afterwards.”
And the film had a lasting reaction on viewers too.
Viewers’ faces most of the way through the movie (A24)
One Twitter user said: “#HereditaryMovie left me absolutely shaken to my core. Genuinely frightening sound design, gorgeous cinematography, and chilling lead performances from Toni Collette and Alex Wolff, make it more than a horror movie – it’s a goddamn sensory overload.”
“Meanwhile, PLEASE do watch #HereditaryMovie this weekend. It delivers a violent surge to the amygdala and gut-punch at once. It’s also wildly imaginative, thought-provoking, and will stay with you for days. A mix of classic and very modern horror elements,” another added.
A third commented: “Hereditary gave me sleepless nights. Do you know which scene of this movie I found the scariest? When we get to see Peter’s reflection in his classroom was one of the sneakiest horror scenes I have ever seen.”
And a fourth resolved: “What is Hereditary? Like.. wtf is this shit? I’m so upset for renting this. This movie is traumatizing, I thought it was like a horror flick!!
“Like stab-stab, ghost, shadows type movie.. WHAT IN THE F*CK.”
